Expecting to read about bridging the designer-developer gap for a more beautiful web? Well, too bad because this is actually an article all about me… and my growing affinity for the Gumby Framework.

We’ve all been there. The trifecta of good, fast, and cheap is an impossible fantasy, but I’ve found the Gumby Framework to be a powerful leg up in every project so far, without hindering creativity. Keeping your mind, spirit, and code clear and intact by the end of your assignment isn’t guaranteed when you use the Gumby Framework, but it does save a heck of a lot of headache, especially in a time crunch. Like, when you have to ask a dev genius to tweak the global brand color to a different shade of red two hours before a midnight launch. Don’t tell anyone I told you, but the secret behind the almighty power of the framework is variables. To put it simply, they make for speedier builds and increase maintainability.

We all have enough hindrances, internal and external, barricading us from creating inspiring experiences. Don’t let your tools be one more brick in that creative block. Remember that design is all about time. Why? Because you will never have enough. So start with some healthy design habits to give yourself the opportunity for a rich social life or time to work on that side project you’ve been dying to bring into fruition. Whatever the reason, don’t let present you disappoint future you. These off-the-clock experiences are essential to keeping you sane and continually creative.

We consistently strive to be innovators, individuals, and creative thinkers, and yet we repeatedly find ourselves falling into a loop of re-creativity. Taking a step back to redefine creativity as innovative problem solving reveals it as a mere process: one that can be refined. As creative thinkers, staying fresh and getting inspired is the most difficult part of that process.

The fusion of technology, illusion, and connectivity inevitably sparks the interest of any audience. Last year, Intel partnered with illusionist David Blaine to leverage his shocking talents and create a live-streamed interactive performance piece controlled by the Ultrabook.

A beautiful, cohesive and web-optimized digital catalog seems to be the unicorn of the Internet, even today. Many of the hottest fashion brands have an immersive online presence, until you start browsing their lookbooks. Converting a print piece onto the web takes a little finessing, so we’ve aggregated a few best practices and examples of fashion brands that we feel did digital cataloging right. Here are a few samples of online catalogs that are both easy to digest and maintain a strong brand essence. Not to mention, they’re just plain beautiful.